Next Great City: Philadelphia - Volume IV, Issue II

GREEN BUILDING LEGISLATION BECOMES LAW

On Tuesday, January 19, Mayor Nutter signed into law legislation introduced by  Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown that would require any new construction or major renovation of large city government buildings be designed, constructed and certified at the silver level of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system of the U.S. Green Building Council.

The LEED-silver requirement within Bill No. 080025 applies to construction projects over 10,000 square feet that are primarily funded by City capital dollars and are controlled by the City. The ordinance requires that projects to be designed and constructed use at least 20 percent less energy than basic code-compliant structures. It applies to capital projects undertaken by all departments and agencies across the City, including the Airport, Water Department, and Public Property.

The signing of this law also fulfills a Next Great City recommendation for the city to build energy-efficient buildings! Many thanks to Councilwoman Reynolds Brown and everyone involved in its passage.

PHILADELPHIA AIMS TO INCREASE ENERGY EFFICIENCY

To help meet the Greenworks goal of reducing city government energy consumption by 30 percent by 2015, Mayor Nutter announced that the city will hire NORESCO, an energy service company. They will perform an energy audit on targeted city buildings and to recommend energy conservation measures such as lighting upgrades, energy management systems, water conservation measures, and new chillers and heating boilers, to be installed on the municipality's behalf.

These improvements can decrease a facility's energy demand by as much as 20 percent annually, and are paid for with the savings generated by the investments.

LEGAL SERVICES AVAILABLE TO NEXT GREAT CITY PARTNERS

PennFuture's legal staff works to implement the Next Great City agenda in many ways. Staff attorney Brian Glass represented Next Great City in the successful rate case  to restructure stormwater fees for commercial properties that will incentive best practices. He also provided expert testimony at Planning Commission and City Council hearings regarding the interim zoning overlay for the Central Delaware.

But did you know that PennFuture's legal staff can also help your organization?  Just ask Sarah Clark Stuart of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia about Brian's help in researching options for creating a bike trail on a suburban bridge. Or ask Lauren Bornfriend of the Philadelphia Parks Alliance about Brian's research on parks. 

If your organization has an issue that you'd like to talk to an attorney about, please contact Brian Glass.

CONFERENCE ON STATE OF COMPOSTING IN DELAWARE VALLEY

Compost Matters is a one-day conference taking place on February 10 that will look at the current state of composting in the Delaware Valley. With a focus on new developments in food-waste composting practices, the forum will bring together innovators, policy makers, and visionaries in the field, examining current barriers to food waste recovery, public policy issues, and successful models from the region and around the state.

Participants will learn about current opportunities for composting food waste and how to include food recovery efforts in their operations. Tours of local composting sites will be offered on Wednesday afternoon and Saturday morning, February 13. Learn more and register to attend here.

NEWS

• Next Great City partner Pennsylvania Environmental Council's Patrick Starr lauds the passage of city green building legislation
• It's not too early to start planning your urban garden
• Philadelphia aiming to improve energy efficiency
• Inga Saffron provides an inside look into the city's green builders
• Now that Philadelphia is getting incentive-based recycling, will we also get rewards for reducing energy consumption?
• Philadelphia's new Commission of Parks and Recreation had its first public meeting last week which provided an update on the merger process

EVENTS

• Monday, January 25 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.- Climate Change: Mastering the Public Health Role, online webinar
• Monday, January 25 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.- Free Screening of No Impact Man at Skirkanich Hall on the University of Pennsylvania campus
• Tuesday, January 26 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.- Urban Archeology: What's in the Tree Pit Anyway?, online webinar
• Thursday, January 28 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.- Urban Sustainability Forum: Building Safer Communities through Sustainable Land Use at the Academy of Natural Sciences at 19th St. and the Parkway
• Thursday, January 28 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.- Public Meeting on Schuylkill River Trail Completion at Bartram's Garden Coach House
• Thursday, January 28 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.- 58th Street Greenway Planning Public Meeting at New Spirit Church at 58th and Chester
• Saturday, January 30 8:45 a.m.- 12:45 p.m.- Philadelphia Green Skills Conference at the USP McNeil Science and Technology Center at 723 S. 43rd St.
• Saturday, January 30 10:00 a.m- 3:30 p.m.- Marcellus Shale Muster at the Nittany Lion Inn in State College
• Wednesday, February 3 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.- The Basics of Passive House Standard at Carpenter's Hall at 320 Chestnut St.
• Wednesday, February 3 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.- Green Drinks at Standard Tap at 2nd and Poplar streets
• Friday, February 5 5:30- 7:30 p.m.- Retooling Industrial Sites Exhibit at the Center for Architecture at 1218 Arch St.